MoreSport to outrun competition via world class technology from CQuential
5-year CQuential-Moresport partnership delivers stable, effective warehouse management
Warehousing and logistics is becoming an increasingly important component – if not the crucial hub – of competitive retail operations today. Moresport’s busy Cape Town warehouse, underpinned by CQuential technology, is a case in point – helping to support the group’s steady growth in South Africa.
Moresport, with its well-known Sportmans Warehouse and Outdoor Warehouse retail chains, is backed by its purpose-built warehouse size in Philippi, Cape Town. The warehouse takes receipt of imported stock and deliveries from local suppliers and dispatches to 67 stores around the country; with up to 800 containers and around two million units per year passing through the facility.
CQuential was selected as the warehouse solutions supplier in 2013, when Moresport brought its logistics in-house. The ongoing relationship has seen the development of customised solutions for Moresport’s unique warehouse environment, and has positioned the warehouse to start looking into innovative technologies for enhanced efficiencies and cost savings.
Moresport is the leading nationwide retailer of specialist sports and outdoor apparel and equipment through its Outdoor Warehouse and Sportmans Warehouse retail outlets. The first store opened in Cape Town in 1986, and the group now has 67 stores nationwide, all served out of a busy warehouse in Philippi, Cape Town.
Moresport is a full subsidiary of the listed Long4Life Limited and constitutes its Sport & Recreation operating division.
Amid solid growth, Moresport had outgrown its previous warehouse and opted to insource logistics to build its own warehouse based on its requirements, in 2013.
In order to optimise the available space and control costs, the group warehouse was designed with narrow aisle configuration, with 9 level-high bins and closely configured racks. This configuration is optimal for storage but requires specialised materials handling equipment and sophisticated processes to enable throughput and therefore required customised warehouse management tools. As part of a growing group, the warehouse management tools. As part of a growing group, the warehouse operations had to run as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.
After an intensive evaluation, CQuential was selected as the warehouse solutions partner. The ongoing partnership has seen the implementation of the following solutions over five years:
The ongoing collaboration between Moresport and CQuential over the last 5 years has enhanced the WMS systems’s functionality which is stable, efficient, and well suited to support the group’s narrow aisle and wave pick requirements. This provides the company with a solid foundation on which to build logistical efficiencies. Part of exposure to globally competitive logistics management technologies.
CQuential and Moresport continue to collaborate in ongoing improvement projects on current processes as well as extended functionality, the latest of which is voice-picking compatibility.
As a growing retail group with outlets around the country, Moresport opted to take its logistics in-house and build its own distribution centre in Cape Town. The warehouse was designed with a fairly exclusive narrow aisle configuration, placing unique demands on its machines and management systems. CQuential was selected as the solutions provider and implementation partner, and rolled out the first warehouse management systems in 2013.
Moresport recognised the benefits attached to the flexibility and scalability of a cloud-based warehouse management solution, says Steve Mallaby, CEO of CQuential. “Moresport depends on this solution to run its warehouse and business optimally – which is crucial in an increasingly competitive environment. When stock is effectively stored and the supply chain runs efficiently, the cost per unit comes down, allowing retailers to be more competitive and grow their bottom line.
Through careful attention to detail, logic embedded in the CQuential system and the use of advanced analytics, warehouse owners are able to determine how warehouses contribute to supply chain efficiencies and where savings can be achieved. This is becoming a focus for many retailers now,” he says.
In an ongoing partnership, additional solutions and enhancements have been implemented to deliver ongoing efficiency improvements.
“The WMS system is stable and effective, allowing us to support growth,” says Erik Etsebeth, group logistics manager at Moresport. “We now have the foundations in place to start looking at new and innovative technologies from CQuential and its parent company, Argility Technology Group. This will enable us to further manage costs and improve efficiencies. It has been updated on new international technologies and trends, with proactive options regarding future enhancements to support our business goals.
“CQuential has been able to meet our requirements; and works with us to achieve our ongoing goal of shortening the supply chain and making it a strategic enabler for the business.”
As a growing number of South African companies review their supply chain and warehouse operations as a source of improved competitiveness and revenue growth, Moresport, in partnership with CQuential, already has an established and scalable foundation for ongoing logistics excellence.
Long4Life Sport & Recreation CEO Cobus Loubser is delighted with the progress made to date in preparing the distribution centre for even greater innovation and efficiencies. “We are currently working with CQuential on introducing advanced new technologies which could make Moresport a pioneer in advanced warehousing in South Africa and which are projected to increase current picking speed and warehousing productivity by up to 20%” he says.
CQuential Solutions – a member of the Argility Technology Group – is a software development and services company that provides complete solutions for Supply Chain and Warehouse Management.
CQuential WMS – our sophisticated Cloud Warehouse Management solution, has been developed in-house by our team of highly experienced warehouse and IT management experts. CQuential’s globally competitive technology enables companies to transform their warehouses into strategic assets thus becoming an integral part of the supply chain. We work with customers to design and implement flexible, scalable, warehouse solutions that enable them to rapidly respond to ever changing operational needs. Our solutions – successfully deployed in South Africa and around the world – are suited to multiple warehouse environments from small to multi-national corporations and across multiple sectors from manufacturing, retail, chemical, food and beverage, to pharmaceuticals and logistics.
For further information visit our website: www.cquential.com
Or contact us on: Tel: +2711-712-1300
Email: info@cquential.com
